BACKGROUND: Partial-thickness tear of the rotator cuff is a common cause of shoulder pain. Magnetic resonance (MR) arthrography has been described as a useful measure to diagnose rotator cuff abnormalities. PURPOSE: To determine the reliability and accuracy of MR arthrography with abduction and external rotation (ABER) view for the diagnosis of partial-thickness tears of the rotator cuff. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Among patients who underwent MR arthrographies, 22 patients (12 men, 10 women; mean age 45 years) who had either partial-thickness tear or normal tendon on arthroscopy were included. MR images were independently scored by two observers for partial-thickness tears of the rotator cuff. Interobserver and intraobserver agreements for detection of partial-thickness tears of the rotator cuff were calculated by using kappa coefficients. The differences in areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were assessed with a univariate Z-score test. Differences in sensitivity and specificity for interpretations based on different imaging series were tested for significance using the McNemar statistic. RESULTS: Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of each reader on MR imaging without ABER view were 83%, 90%, and 86%, and 83%, 80%, and 82%, respectively, whereas on overall interpretation including ABER view, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of each reader were 92%, 70%, and 82%, and 92%, 80%, and 86%, respectively. Including ABER view, interobserver agreement for partial-thickness tear increased from kappa=0.55 to kappa=0.68. Likewise, intraobserver agreements increased from kappa=0.79 and 0.53 to kappa=0.81 and 0.70 for each reader, respectively. The areas under the ROC curves for each reader were 0.96 and 0.90, which were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: Including ABER view in routine sequences of MR arthrography increases the sensitivity, and inter- and intraobserver agreements for detecting partial-thickness tear of rotator cuff tendon.
BACKGROUND: Partial-thickness tear of the rotator cuff is a common cause of shoulder pain. Magnetic resonance (MR) arthrography has been described as a useful measure to diagnose rotator cuff abnormalities. PURPOSE: To determine the reliability and accuracy of MR arthrography with abduction and external rotation (ABER) view for the diagnosis of partial-thickness tears of the rotator cuff. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Among patients who underwent MR arthrographies, 22 patients (12 men, 10 women; mean age 45 years) who had either partial-thickness tear or normal tendon on arthroscopy were included. MR images were independently scored by two observers for partial-thickness tears of the rotator cuff. Interobserver and intraobserver agreements for detection of partial-thickness tears of the rotator cuff were calculated by using kappa coefficients. The differences in areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were assessed with a univariate Z-score test. Differences in sensitivity and specificity for interpretations based on different imaging series were tested for significance using the McNemar statistic. RESULTS: Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of each reader on MR imaging without ABER view were 83%, 90%, and 86%, and 83%, 80%, and 82%, respectively, whereas on overall interpretation including ABER view, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of each reader were 92%, 70%, and 82%, and 92%, 80%, and 86%, respectively. Including ABER view, interobserver agreement for partial-thickness tear increased from kappa=0.55 to kappa=0.68. Likewise, intraobserver agreements increased from kappa=0.79 and 0.53 to kappa=0.81 and 0.70 for each reader, respectively. The areas under the ROC curves for each reader were 0.96 and 0.90, which were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: Including ABER view in routine sequences of MR arthrography increases the sensitivity, and inter- and intraobserver agreements for detecting partial-thickness tear of rotator cuff tendon.
Authors: Jean-Sébastien Roy; Caroline Braën; Jean Leblond; François Desmeules; Clermont E Dionne; Joy C MacDermid; Nathalie J Bureau; Pierre Frémont Journal: Br J Sports Med Date: 2015-02-11 Impact factor: 13.800